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On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, 'Okay, this is the limit.' As soon as you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.
Ayrton Senna

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racing with the wind
Steppenwolf, Born to be Wild

No speed of wind or water rushing by
But you have a speed far greater. You can climb
Back up a stream of radiance to the sky,
And back through history up the stream of time.
And you were given this swiftness, not for haste
Nor chiefly that you may go where you will.
But in the rush of everything to waste,
That you may have the power of standing still
Robert Frost, The Master Speed

If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.
Mario Andretti

I watched Senna recently. It's a 2010 documentary movie about Ayrton Senna, the brilliant Brazilian Formula One racing driver. By chance it was just about the anniversary of his death. He died on 1 May 1994 aged 34. It's a moving film. There is a shot of three Japanese F1 announcers breaking down in tears as they gave the news of his death.

Something about Ayrton Senna struck a chord in Japan. He was one of the most popular foreign athletes ever. He was talented and charismatic but it was deeper than that. He lived his racing - and his life - as a spiritual quest. Always to be a better driver. And always to be a better human. For many martial artists that will be familiar.

1.5.2004 for the 10th anniv. EMI Music released a DVD: The official tribute to A. S. Videos: the right to win 1and in the same page it cont. with part 2- 5.As a child he drove karts and as he had difficulties in rainy days he practiced so many times until he became the best driver in that weather, that is a good quality for aikidokas: to practice much more the for us more dificult techniques.

Thank you Niall for this deep and thoughtful post. You are right we can reach everything we propose living every day fully and become better aikidokas and better humans.
Ayrton Senna shows that you can be a better human even after death.
I found this nice quote of him on his website"If we want to change something, we must start with the children, through their education".

Niall, you have such a great talent and skill for selecting topics that relate to Aikido, Japan or any other topic that is informative and inspiring! This one reminds me of hitting 70 mph on I-95 on the way to Mystic for the wedding of my husband's step brother in a Volvo wagon that was around ten years old. The closest thing to flying for a usually sedate driver.... The road was clear it was a bright morning, and I just felt like it....